Door pusher and light switch



oct. 19, 1937. o, L ALLREAD 2,096,503

DOOR PUSHER AND LIGHT SWITCH Filed June 28, 1934 NYENToR TTORNEYS Patented Oct. 19, l1937 PATENT OFFICE accesos Doon rosal-:n AND un'r swrrcn Groote L. Allroad,

Sparks-Withington Jackson, Mich., or to The Company, ma, Mich.,

a corporation of Ohio l Application June 28, 1934, Serial No. 732,867

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in electric switches, and particularly, but not exclusively, to switchesof the door-operated type.

The switch of my invention is particularly useiulas a lighting switch, and may be conveniently mounted with respect to the door frame or casing of an enclosure in such manner that opening and closing of the door automatically actuates the switch to control a light within the enclosure. By way of example, the switch may be employed in connection with the lighting of clothes closets, automobile bodies, electric refrigerators, and other small enclosures in which it is desired to light up the interior when the door is opened, and to have the light switched off when the door is closed. Particularly in electric refrigerators, it is desirable to have the door spring open as soon as it is unlatched, and to this end, I have incorporated in the switch-actuating mechanism, a pusher that will accomplish the desired result.

The main object of the invention is to provide an electric switch of the character described that is simple, compact and rugged in construction, and that is easy to assemble and to install, and economical to manufacture.

A further object of` this invention is to provide a switch construction in which the switch members are adapted to be actuated by the opening and closing of a door.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a switch, the actuating element of which cooperates with a door so as to facilitate the opening of the door when the same is unlatched.

Other objects and advantages relate to details of the switch structure and the arrangement thereof, all as will appear more fully in the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Figure 1 is a view illustrating the switch of my invention in operative relation with respect to a door and door casing.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Figure 2; and

Figures 5 and 6 are perspective views showing further structural details of the switch parts.

In the drawing, like parts are designated by the same characters of reference.

Referring to Figure 1, thev numeral 5 gener- 55 ally designates the switch of my invention shown (Cl. 2ML-54) positioned in a door casing t. A door I is shown hinged to casing I and l.

Switch 5, as more specically illustrated ln Figures 2 and 3, comprises a tubular casing I0 of brass, steel, or other suitable material, and is provided with an end portion I I, in this instance,

having an annular outwardly extending ange I2. End portion II is provided with a bore I3 of a diameter less than the bore of casing I0, which is preferably coaxial with the bore of tubular casing I0.

Slidably mounted in end portion II and-projecting through bore I3 is a round nose plunger i4 having a flanged, circular end portion I5 of diameter slightly less than the inner diameter of casing I0 so as to form a. iree sliding fit with the inner walls of the casing.

Adjacent the open end of the casing I0 and enclosed thereby is provided a pair of U-shaped contacts I6 and I1 riveted or otherwise secured as at I8 and I9 to the adjacent ends of a pair of, in this instance, rectangularly shaped insulating supports 20 and 2I. Contacts I6 and I 'I may be formed from a strip of flexible conducting material, such as copper or bronze. One 1reg of U-shaped contacts I6 and I1 is preferably secured to and lies against the outer side of supporting members 20 and 2|, whereas the inner legs of the contacts are providedwith offset portions as I6 and I'l respectively, which form the switch contact surfaces. The ends of the contacts I 6 and I'I adjacent the oil'set portions are bent backwardly so as to contact the opposing inner surfaces of support members 20 and 2|.

The ends of support members 20 and 2l remote from the contacts I6 and I1 are provided with apertures to receive a pin 22 passing diametrically through casing III for the purpose of maintaining the contact supports in position. Pin 22 may be frictionally held in place with respect to tubular casing III, and in addition, may be slightly burred at each end in a well understood manner. Pin 22 is also adapted to pass through a guiding slot 24 extending longitudinally of a blade-like plunger 23.

One end of plunger 23 may be secured to disk 25 in the following manner: Disk 25 is provided with a pair of spaced parallel notches 26 so as to form a diametrically extending tongue 2l of length slightly greater than the radius of disk 25. The end of plunger 23 is notched at 28, and also provided with an aperture 29 having a rectangular configuration adapted to receive tongue 21, thereby joining disk 25 securely to the end of plunger 23.

Disk 25 is adapted to slide within tubular cas- Iing I0, and is maintained against ilanged porto contacts I6 and I1 by means of wires 3l which.

may be soldered directly to the contact plates or Y. secured in any other well known manner.

' the end of tubular member 32.

vopposed tabs 36 on spacing member 35 are adapt- I ed to register with notches 34, thereby preventing In order to insulate the contacts and wire connections from the casing IIJ, I provide a tubular insulating member 32 of such diameter so as to be frictlonally retained within the casing. One end of tubular insulating member 32 is provided with a pair of diametrically opposed notches 33 adapted to register with pin 22. The other end of member 32 is provided with a pair of diametrically opposed notches 34.

A circular-shaped spacing member 35 having diametrlcally opposed notches 31 is provided for receiving connecting wires 3| and forv maintain'- ing them in spaced relation, and is positioned inwires 3I from twisting with respect to casing Ill. The entire switch assembly may be mounted in a door casing by providing a tubular opening of diameter slightly larger than the diameter of casing I0 for receiving the assembly. The switch unit may then be driven into the opening thus provided until the flanged portion I2 is firmly seated. In order to secure the switch assembly firmly, I provide an annular fluted portion 38 about the casing which forms a gripping surface to hold the switch assembly in place.

In operation, the switch may be actuated vin the manner illustratedin Figure 1.V In this in. stance, the casing I0 of the switch is entirely concealed having only actuating plunger I4 protruding beyond the edge of the doorcasing 6. `A 4 'I'he edge of door 1 is adapted to contact vwith plunger I4 when the door is closed, and consequently, to force the plunger inwardly in a well understood manner. When the door is open 'and plunger I4 is in its extended position dueto the pressure of spring 30, plungerV 23 will be out of contact with switch contacts II and I1. As plunger I4 is moved inwardly, against the ten-v sion of spring v3|), and carrying withyit diskv25- and plunger 23, the forward end of the latter l will be'wedged between the ,contact surfaces I6 and I1', thereby breaking the circuit. It isapner, while they are carrying current, prevents arcing thereby insuring clean contact surfaces at all times, and longer life. Upon opening the door, plunger I4 is forced outwardly by spring 30 and plunger 23 is withdrawn from between contacts I6 and I1 permitting the contacts to close. h

Contact support members 20 and 2| are prevented from spreading since they are encircled substantially throughout their length by tubular insulating member 32 as is clearly illustrated in Figure 4. y Coil spring 30 is preferably made sufficiently stiff so that it will substantially aid in opening the door when the same is unlatched. This feature is of particular importance in the event the switch is employed on refrigerator doors for con- Diametrically` trolling a light mounted within the refrigerator4 enclosure. In this instance, plunger I4 would act as a pusher which, upon unlatching the door, would cause the door to spring open. It will, of course, be understood that the door pusher feature is also lapplicable to appliances and structures other than electric refrigerators which are mentioned by way of example only.

Although I have shown and described a specic switch construction, for the purpose of villustration, I do not wish to be limited to the same, as

many changes and modications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A door.operated switch comprising a cylindrical casing, a pair of spaced elongated contact supports extending longitudinally within said casing, a pair of resilient normally closed contacts mounted on said supports adjacent one end of said casing, a pin extending diametrically through said casing and through said supports, a reciprocable plunger extending from the other end of said casing, stop means associated with said casing and said plunger for limiting the out- 'ward movement of the latter, a washer adjacent the inner end of said plunger, a switch actuating I blade of insulating material secured at one end to said washer, the'other end of said blade being disposed between said .contact supports in alignment with said contacts, said blade having a I longitudinally extending slot therein for receiving said pin, a spring surrounding said blade having onev end in contact with said pin and in surrounding relation with the ends of said contact supports-and the other end lincontact with said `washer for maintaining the washer in contact with said plunger and for normally maintaining for moving said plunger inwardlybwith respect to said casing to rwedge said blade between said contacts, said spring being adapted to withdraw said blade from'between said contacts for enabling the contacts to close. v l v 2.A A door operated switch comprising a cylindrical casing, a pair of contact supports, a pair 'A of resilient normally closed contacts mounted on vsaid-supports adjacent one end of said casing, a

pin extendingdiametricallythrough said casing and through said supports, a reciprocable plunger Aextending from the other end of said casing, stop ,means Vassociated .with said `casing and said plunger for limiting the outward movement of the latter, av switch actuating blade of insulat- I ing material ,operatively connected to said plunger, the Aother end of said blade being dis- .'posed between said contact supports in align- 'ment with said contacts, said blade having a parent that separating the contacts in this man-- `frigerator door in such manner that when the door is closed said plunger is moved inwardly with respect to said casing to wedge said blade between vsaid contacts and said spring being adapted to withdraw said blade from between said plunger in an extended position, and means said contacts for enabling the contacts to close when the door is opened.

oREsTE L. ALLREAD. 

